Stewed Vegetable Pot Pie

I hesitate to use the term "pot pie" because it's usually associated with lots of cream and butter. Other than the puff pastry on top, this vegetable stew doesn't rely on an excess of fat to make it tasty - it's heavy on the vegetables and on the flavor.

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

3 tbsp. olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 small fennel bulb, diced
1 large portobello mushroom, diced
1 cup Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
1/2 cup fresh peas
1 bunch of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup broccoli, stems removed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup cauliflower, stems removed and cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup water
16 oz. can of whole San Marzano tomatoes
2 tsp. ground paprika
2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
a dash of cayenne pepper
Frozen puff pastry, thawed (I use Dufour)
1 egg, beaten

Method

Heat 2 tbsp. of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet on med-high heat. Sauté the onion, carrot, fennel, mushroom, and Brussels sprouts until soft and golden brown. Sprinkle a bit of salt over the vegetables while cooking.

Add the peas, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, and 1/2 cup water. Place a lid on the pan, lower the heat, and allow to steam until the water has evaporated and the vegetables are cooked, but still firm - about 2 minutes.

Return the heat to med-high, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan along with the paprika, salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Sauté the vegetables with the spices for about a minute, until everything is well combined. 

Blend the can of whole tomatoes until slightly pureed - you still want some chunks of tomato in there. Pour about half of this into the pan and mix with vegetables to combine. Add as much tomato as you need to reach the consistency of a thick stew - you want to have more vegetables than sauce - and this will vary. Allow this to simmer for 10-15 minutes until the tomato has thickened and slightly reduced.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F.. Prepare the puff pastry by placing it on a lightly-floured surface and rolling out any holes or broken seams. Cut the pastry into a round that is 1 inch bigger than your pan. Place the pastry round over the pan (if the pan is way too hot and you don't have time to cool it down, transfer your vegetable stew to another cool cast-iron pan), make one or more slits on the top to allow air to escape, and brush lightly with egg.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the crust is richly golden brown and cooked all the way through.